


perfect

by BnessZ



Category: Fruits Basket
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Song Lyrics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:27:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26125741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BnessZ/pseuds/BnessZ
Summary: 5 times Kyo sings for Tohru + 1 time she sings for him (well, kind of)
Relationships: Honda Tohru/Sohma Kyou
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	perfect

**Author's Note:**

> Hello~  
> This was for another furuba zine, please enjoy:3

_i. swing life away - rise against_

Tohru walks along the riverside.

It's a still morning. Golden rays stream through the trees, beginning to warm the chilled air. Birds chirp softly, a slow wake up call. But then, just above the gentle noises of nature, music floats along the water, lifts up and tickles Tohru's cheeks.

It's soothing, it's different, it's somehow nostalgic. Tohru follows the notes.

There, in a small clearing, a house. On the patio, a man strums a guitar, singing lowly. He's wearing sweatpants and a plain black v-neck, orange hair ruffled, as if he's just woken up. Something about it, mixed with the raspy tone that interrupts the otherwise velvet voice, is somehow endearing. It draws her in and before Tohru even realizes, she’s close. 

The song ends. He looks up, bright orange eyes looking away, before whipping back, wide. He jumps, instinctively clutching his guitar closer to his chest. 

Tohru steps back immediately. "Sorry! I'm so sorry! I heard the music and I just followed it. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm so sorry!"

"You shouldn't—" he takes a deep breath, looks away. "It's fine. You, uh, liked it?"

"Hmm?" Tohru sees a dusting of pink on his face, sees his hands curl less protectively and more lovingly around his instrument. She grins. "yes, very much."

He gives a ghost of a smile. Tohru thinks he opens his mouth, thinks he's going to say something, but then someone yells something from inside. Cursing, the man gets up and turns away. He makes it to the door before turning back to her, bowing his head with a flustered expression, and then he's gone.

Tohru hums the rest of her walk.

_ii. When you wish upon a star, and one upon a dream - disney_

“Tohru, is everything set up for our guest?” 

Tohru blinks at Mayuko. “Guest?” 

“You forgot, didn’t you?” 

Tohru pauses, thinks, and then she yelps and drops the plushie in her hands. "I'm so sorry! I'll work on it right now!"

Just as Tohru is placing down the last chair, the door chimes. She turns, confused since it’s too early for any pick-ups, and stops when she sees orange hair. A guitar is strapped to his back, hands stuffed into jeans, eyes shifting until locking on hers.

It’s him. The one that Tohru heard singing, the one that she was late to work for, the one that she has heard in her head over and over since that morning. 

He blinks at her. “Hey,” he says, slowly, unsure, shifting his weight. 

“Oh, uh, hello!” She dips into a quick bow, coming up fast enough to make her dizzy. She loses her footing, but a hand grabs her wrist, pulling her back. “Sorry,” Tohru mumbles, waiting for the world to still. 

“You’re so tiny. Are you eating enough?” 

“Huh?” 

“Nothing, never mind,” he releases her arm, and then peers around her. “So, are we gonna start or..?” 

“Oh, yes, I am so sorry! Right this way.” 

The man sighs, following her past lingering gazes to a child sized chair. Mayuko stands behind it, arms crossed with a smirk. “Thanks for doing this, Kyo.” 

“Yeah, yeah, anything to get Hatori off my back.”

“You’re a good kid after all.” 

“Shut up. And don’t try to distract me from the chair. You expect me to sit in that? What do you take me for anyways?” 

“Why a brat, course.” 

“Don’t fu—”

“Um, excuse me,” Tohru says, eyes darting to the audience. 

Kyo turns to her, looks at the children, and then sighs. “Alright, alright, jeez.” 

Mayuko laughs. “Alright, kids, gather around. We have a special guest today to play some music. This is Kyo Sohma.” 

Tohru whispers the name to herself, forgetting where she is until he cocks his head towards her, “yes?” 

Covering her face, Tohru feels herself go hot. “Oh, no, nothing, um, I was just—” 

Pink dusts across his cheek bones and Kyo diverts his eyes. “No, it’s fine. You can call my name whenever you like.” 

Tohru's hands fall, mouth hanging open. Millions of stars surge through her veins, and a tidal wave forms in her stomach. Before she can discern the feeling, Kyo is strumming the guitar gently, entirely capturing the attention of everyone in the room.

When he plays, Kyo sways slightly, a ghost of a grin on his lips, the notes clear. His voice is subtle and smooth, yet beautifully demanding. Tohru places a palm on her chest, closes her eyes and soaks in the notes. It’s soothing, and yet she can feel her heart race beneath her fingertips. 

The kids love it. After each song the yell and clap and chant for more. 

"Alright, alright, you brats. This is the last one, okay?"

Peeling her eyes open, Tohru focuses on his hands. She watches how they dance along the frets. Her head only snaps up to his face when he starts singing, her breath only caught in her throat when the words reach her ears. This song… 

A soft grin is on Kyo’s face, warm as sunshine, and those orange eyes lock onto hers, and Tohru feels herself whispering with him: _You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream._

The song continues, but Tohru hardly hears it. All she can do is stare. Everything sort of fades away and she isn’t sure if she’s even breathing. Something about the man in front of her, about this old song, about the gentle strumming of the guitar, is completely captivating. It’s all encompassing. Kyo. Kyo is— 

Clapping snaps Tohru back to reality. Kyo sighs, placing the guitar down. Kids walk up to him, some talking loudly at him, others trying to climb on him. Kyo snaps at them, but doesn’t shake them away. He answers questions and nods along when they speak. 

It’s heartwarming. 

“Alright,” Mayu says, “give him some space. Let’s get ready for craft time.” 

Slowly, and not without a fight, the kids disperse. Kyo walks over to Tohru, hands stuffed in pockets, eyes ever shifting. “Hey.” 

Tohru smiles. “Thank you for coming. You played very well.” 

“Thanks.” He shifts his weight, looks at Tohru’s face for a second before his eyes flit away again. Pink dusts over the bridge of his nose. “So, I was wondering if… you’d like to hang out sometime.” 

Tohru’s heart hiccups. “Hang out?” 

“Not like, anything special! Just coffee, or something. It doesn’t mean anything.” 

“Special?” 

Groaning, Kyo places a hand over his face. “Please just answer the question.” 

Tohru tilts her head to the side, unsure of his reaction and the rush in her own stomach. “That sounds nice. I would love to.” 

Kyo’s hand falls away from his face, cheeks completely red, mouth hanging open just a touch before he clears his throat and looks away again. “Then can I have your number? 

_iii. all i need is you - click five_

It’s their third date (well, sixth, if you count the ones they were too oblivious and nervous to realize what was really going on). 

They spend the afternoon in a cafe. Kyo fidgets the whole time, fingers inching towards his guitar many times before falling back into his lap. He tells Tohru how he met her mother once, how she was weird and teased him and spoke about Tohru. 

Kyo tells Tohru how he lingered at the funeral, out of sight, but watching. 

“I wanted to make sure… you were okay,” He’s blushing, avoiding eye contact. “She talked about you, and I—” 

Tears threaten to spill from Tohru’s eyes. She grabs his hand, grins at him. 

Kyo calms, softens, reaches forward and brushes under her eye. 

Afterwards, they walk towards the beach. Kyo reaches for her hand, and Tohru takes his, playing with his fingers the whole walk, talking about the kids at work. The sun is falling, reaching to kiss the horizon. 

Tohru feels a chill and subconsciously moves closer into Kyo’s side. She feels him stiffen at first, before letting out a long breath, untangling their fingers, and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Sighing, she all but melts into him. 

The sun is almost gone, the sky vivid orange. The ocean has a streak of fire in it, shadowed on either side. The air is crisp, fresh, and Tohru almost whines when Kyo pulls away, turning his back against the ocean. He looks at her, gives a nervous half grin, and unstraps his guitar. 

“You, uh, up for a song?” 

Tohru brings her palms together, eyes shining. “Oh, yes. Yes, yes yes!” 

“You don’t have to answer so many times,” he chuckles. “Don’t...don’t look at me like that.” 

“Like what?” 

“Expectant.” 

“What?”

“Nevermind. Just do what you want.” 

Tohru feels her eyebrows furrow, but she says nothing. Just watches as Kyo closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and readies his guitar. In this moment, Tohru wishes she could take her phone out fast enough for a picture. He looks so calm like this, so in place and so himself, the dying light casting him in a golden glow.

He’s beautiful like this, the seconds before he plays. Even with all their time together, Tohru can still feel his nerves, his insecurities. They bleed out of him, as if just existing is terrifying to him. But, right now, he is completely, purely at peace with who he is. 

Tohru’s heart squeezes. 

The strumming starts. Tohru doesn’t recognize it, but as soon as the words begin spilling from Kyo’s lips, she wants to cry. _You're scared / It shows / Been there / You're not prepared to be / In love / With me / So soon..._

Kyo keeps singing, getting more into it by the second, swaying, locking eyes with her, smiling. The sky behind him turns inky blue, the first stars beginning to shine, but Tohru can’t even appreciate it. All she can do is stare and listen, completely mesmerized by the man in front of her. His voice wraps around her like a warm blanket after a long day, the lyrics speak straight to her soul, speaking all the thoughts she has been too afraid to voice.   
_All I need is you…_

The last note hangs in the air, before disappearing along side the mist from Kyo’s mouth. Tohru doesn’t say anything, doesn’t move. She can’t. 

A ghost of a laugh escapes through Kyo’s nose, a gentle grin on his lips. “Why are you crying?” 

“Huh?” Tohru places a hand on her own cheek, feeling moisture on her fingertip. She didn’t realize she was crying, but now, the tears come even faster. 

“Jeez,” Kyo says, placing his guitar softly in the sand, walking over to her. “You’re really something, aren’t you?” 

“Sh—shut up.” Tohru sniffles, leaning into Kyo’s palm when he lifts it to her face. “That was beautiful.” 

“You’re beautiful.” 

Tohru’s heart never stood a chance, honestly. 

“So you liked it?” 

“Loved it,” Tohru says. She takes a deep breath, steels her nerves, and then looks straight into those burning orange eyes. “I love you.” 

A shuddering breath leaves Kyo and he leans forward, pressing his forehead against hers. “Thank god.” And before she can say anything, he slides his hand under her chin, tilts her face upwards, and presses lips against hers. 

Tohru never really had any interest in romance, in these sorts of intimate moments, in this type of physical affection, but now— 

Now she understands all the cliches. Fireworks, butterflies, cloud nine, all of them rush into her mind, but then fade as she sinks into the feeling. It’s sloppy and nervous, but it’s perfect. 

Tohru could get used to this. 

_iv. 1, 2, 3, 4 - plain white t’s_

“MOM!” 

Tohru jolts upright, panting, her vision coated black. She can only vaguely feel the harsh rise and fall of her chest, the coldness of her blood. 

“Tohru?” 

The name is murky, like she’s trapped underwater. Like she’s still caught in the memory of her mom, of the crimson red and— 

“Tohru. Tohru.” 

A hand caresses her cheek, and Tohru’s vision begins to clear. Tears cascade down her face, breathing more hiccups than anything else, heart hammering against her ribcage. It’s still too dark, still too much like the dream for her to shake herself out of it. “Mom?” It’s a whimper, full of false hope and heartbreaking need. 

A stretch of silence. Tohru feels the bed shift under her, feels a blanket wrap around her shoulders. 

“No,” the voice is soft, cautious. “It’s me.” 

Finally, finally, color seeps into Tohru’s life. Bright orange stares at her, a thumb rubs circles into her cheekbone, warm breath fans over her face. 

“Kyo,” she breathes, voice breaking. “Kyo, I—” 

“Shhh, I know, I know.” He kisses her forehead, gently pushes her back against the pillow. “Close your eyes and just listen to me, okay?” 

A shaky breath, eyes closing with a final tear. “Okay.” 

Kyo starts singing low, whispering the lyrics to her. It’s intimate, slow, soothing. The words wash over Tohru. Images of the nightmare are replaced with bright memories, smiles, dancing, laughter, sunshine. 

Tohru falls asleep to the sound of love, the embrace of warmth, and dreams of their future. 

_v. love her - jonas brothers_

This is supposed to be the best day of her life. 

Tohru sits in her dressing room, flowers in her lap, hands clenched around a veil. Everything is fine. The flowers are right, everybody is on time, the music is ready, the decorations are beautiful. Everything is going as it should, and yet… 

Hanajima and Uotani are waiting for her. Waiting to walk her down the aisle, to let her life intertwine with someone else’s. They’re here for Tohru. Always. And yet… 

There is a presence Tohru wishes were here more than anything else.

Two knocks on the door. “Hey.” 

Her eyes water. “Hey.” 

“You okay?” 

“Yes.” 

“You’re a terrible liar.” A tear tumbles down her cheek, but Tohru says nothing. A sigh. “What is it?” 

“It’s nothing.” 

“Tohru.” 

“It—” Tohru screws up her mouth, takes a couple deep breaths, and tries to keep the tears out of her voice. “It’s just that my mom should be here.” 

A long pause. “I know.” 

“It isn’t fair.” 

“I know.” 

“And—” Tohru chokes on a sob, almost rips the veil. “And without her to guide me, what if I don’t love you right? What if we get in more fights? What if I push you too far?” 

“That won’t happen.” 

“You don’t know that.” 

“Sure I do.” Tohru hears him slide against the door, hears shuffling. And before she can say a rebuttal, a guitar is strumming. 

Even through a door, Kyo’s voice is as perfect as always. Though, somehow, it seems more rugged than usual, more cracked with emotion. Tohru cries through the entire song, face in her hands. She cries for her mother, for all the moments they missed, for all the wrong she has done, all the downs she and Kyo have had. She cries for everything that is and can be wrong. But, most importantly, she cries for the love that seeps through the door, that soaks her skin, sinks into her bones. 

_And they say love can hurt / But seein' her smile will get you every time / Yeah, every time / Because you love her…_

Tohru cries for love. 

And later, with metal wrapped around her finger, with an arm around her waist, with tear filled eyes staring at her, with an all too eager kiss pressed to her lips, Tohru laughs for love. 

_i. you are my sunshine_

Kyo wakes up to humming. 

Next to him, the bed is empty. His eyebrows furrow and he blinks awake, sliding out of bed. He walks carefully, worried to wake any sensitive ears around. The more steps he takes, the more the humming turns into words. The more the words form, the more his heart races. 

Kyo stops just outside the second bedroom. In front of him, Tohru stands, her hair sticking up at odd angles, shirt crooked, one slipper missing, rocking a bundle in her arms. 

She’s singing. 

_You are my sunshine / My only sunshine…_

Tohru is singing and Kyo almost wants to laugh because, for years, he has been trying to get her to sing for him but she always refuses. The best he’s gotten is her constant humming. She claims to have an awful voice, that she would be a disappointment to someone like him. 

Which could never be true, but that’s a whole other point. 

Kyo wants to laugh, but the scene melts him and he falls in love all over again. With Tohru, of course, but also with the bundle in her arms: Hajime. Their little angel. He squirms in Tohru’s arms, but the more she sings, he calms down, noises fading into light snoring. 

_You make me happy / When skies are grey…_

Wrapping his arms around Tohru from behind, Kyo joins her for the final line, Please don’t take my sunshine away… 

Tohru turns her head, nuzzles her nose into Kyo’s cheek. They stay like that, rocking, huddled together as a family, humming the song over and over and over. As a family. 

This, Kyo decides, placing a kiss on his wife’s forehead, this is all Kyo needs.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think :3  
> Cry with me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/fruitsofrice)


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